Movie:
Playing Mona Lisa, originally released in 2000, was based on the play "Two Goldstein's on Acid" by Marni Freedman, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Directed by Matthew Huffman, the film stars Alicia Witt (Claire Goldstein), Harvey Fierstein (Bennett), Brooke Langton (Sabrina), Johnny Galecki (Arthur), Ivan Sergei (Eddie), and Elliott Gould (Bernie Goldstein).

After she loses her piano competition and is dumped by her boyfriend, Claire sinks deep into depression – her only solace is chocolate and the visits from her friends, Arthur and Sabrina. They convince her to get out of bed, attend some parties, and meet some guys, which she reluctantly does. On the way to one party, she runs into Eddie, and the two hit it off. After a few dates, she begins to get over her ex-boyfriend and starts to practice for another piano competition. But will she find the strength to compete and move on when she sees her ex making out with another girl?

I like most chick flicks – and make no mistake, this is most definitely a chick flick – but there really wasn't much to like about Playing Mona Lisa. The acting was decent all around, but the plot really jumps every which way. Besides the main focus on Claire, there's also subplots revolving around her gay piano instructor, Arthur and his blooming relationship to a cheerleader, Sabrina and her phone sex relationship with a married man, her dad going through a midlife crisis, her sister getting married, etc. All the plots are tied together at the end, where tons of twists are revealed - most of which were unexpected – but the movie just dragged all throughout. The title "Playing Mona Lisa" comes from Sabrina's dating advice to Claire – men like mysteries, so to lure in a guy, you have to look at them with a vague expression, look away, and then look at them again. In conversation, you always have to be mysterious. The movie did provide some laughs, and for me, the highlight of the movie was seeing Johnny Galecki again, who was great in Bounce and Suicide Kings.

Picture:
Playing Mona Lisa is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Buena Vista's transfer is excellent – nary a defect is present throughout the film. Colors are well saturated and vibrant, flesh tones are accurate, and blacks are deep and rich.

Sound:
Playing Mona Lisa is presented in Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 in English. Dialogue is crisp and clean throughout the film, with no distortion that I could detect. The track, while it doesn't have a lot of surround use, does employ them for voice directionality and the film's music. English captions are also included.

Extras:
Trailers for Bounce and Duets are the only extras included.

Summary:
Playing Mona Lisa is worth a rental at most if you're interested in the actors or in a chick-flick (and you've seen everything else) – the high MSRP of $32.99 for a mediocre movie and a barebones DVD is ridiculous. For everyone else, I strongly advise skipping it entirely. Skip It.